text:
NL Central Smackdown: Shortstops
2nd Basemen | Poll
We march on around the diamond. Today it's the double play partner of yesterday's vote. The Cubs so far have the 2nd best first basemen and second basemen in the division. Can Ryan Theriot keep the streak going? Answer - no!
Your scrap-tastic contenders after the jump....
UPDATE: Thanks to you wonderful readers, it was brought to my attention to check Tejada's projections since he revealed his true age. His WARP-3 three year projection is updated in the chart and went down from 4.13 to 3.2. I'd still rate him first though even though he now drops behind Hardy and Wilson in the WARP-3 projections.
|3-Year Warp-3 Average
|3 Year Warp-3 Projection
|Rob's Ranking
|Ryan Theriot
|2.6 (2 years)
|J.J. Hardy
|Cesar Izturis
|Miguel Tejada
|Alex Gonzalez
|Jeff Keppinger
|1.9 (2 years)
|Jack Wilson
The Justification: This one gets a bit difficult as the Reds muck up my little chart. They're going to do that a few times in this series. Alex Gonzalez is signed through 2009 with about $11 million owed to him between this year and next, plus a 2010 mutual option for $6 million. He also has a fractured left knee and a player currently playing in his place who is probably better than him. I'd dismiss Gonzalez altogether if it wasn't for the fact that he's got a contract to justify and has Dusty Baker as his manager. So what to do? Well I included them both in the chart above and if it was just Keppinger, I'd easily rank him third ahead of Jack Wilson and possibly second ahead of JJ Hardy.If it was just Gonzalez, I'd push him behind Jack Wilson for fourth (who's brilliant glovework makes up a lot for his deficient bat). Overall though, I'm guessing they share the playing time and I think the composite of the two is a just a bit better than Wilson for the three spot.
As for the rest of the rankings, Tejada still gets the nod as the top spot. He probably won't stay at shortstop for much longer or with the Astros, but stanozolol rises to the top with this weak competition. Hardy's twenty-plus homer potential and 26 years of age give him the two spot in my rankings. You can flip the three/four spots between Wilson and the Reds shortstops however you wish. I don't expect Ryan Theriot to last the season as the Cubs shortstop, either because of a trade or Ronny Cedeno taking over the job. He's only saved by the presence of Cesar's ghost in the division from being a bottom, which seems like a place Cesar is very comfortable occupying.
There's another poll for you guys to fill out below this and I'll leave the old polls open until we finish this.
Please note, you do have to register to vote. This isn't some scheme to solicit registrations, it's just an anomaly of the site and the poll software that's built in. Trust me, I'd love to fix it, but I haven't found another piece of integrated software that does these ranking polls which I really like. Plus if you register, you get a better user experience as I tend to test everything as a registered user and you get an uncached version of the site. You can also view the results of the poll after you vote, instead of having to wait until I close it. It takes all of two minutes to register and unlikes some sites, I'll be more than happy to cancel your account if you wish. You'll never receive any spam from us either...promise.
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Re: NL Central Smackdown: Shortstops
The tabs are awesome.
Re: NL Central Smackdown: Shortstops
Wow, I had Jack Wilson second. I really like good defense.
Off Topic - Soriano
Re: NL Central Smackdown: Shortstops
So where do we see the poll results without waiting? Maybe I'm an idiot (let me restate that. I AM an idiot. Maybe this is attributable to me being an idiot,) but I can't find it.
Theriot Shift
How long before we see the "Theriot Shift"?
- 3 Infielders on the right side of the infield
- RF guards the line, in close
- CF plays short right-center
- LF plays CF
This would compeletely negate The Riot as an offensive factor.
Last night -- brutal hitting conditions -- and the teams combined for 17 runs and bucketful of hits. Pretty impressive.
Re: Theriot Shift
Riot does occasionally pull the ball. Also, since he's a singles hitter, he's more likely to try to hit the ball where they ain't than the lefty sluggers who usually get a shift (or Andruw Jones). So if they shifted on him, he'd probably try to pull one, even if that meant hitting a lot of Murton Choppers. The bunting would be a factor too.
Okay, I get that you're not being serious; you're pointing out the fact that Riot hits the ball to the right side a lot, and not always very hard. When it ceases to be the best approach for him I'll start criticizing him too. As of right now, with his career homeruns in single digits, I'd tell him to keep swinging for short right.
Re: NL Central Smackdown: Shortstops
If we're looking at this from a who has the most value to a GM over the next 3 years stand point, then I think I rank it this way:
JJ Hardy
Jeff Keppinger
Miguel Tejada
Ryan Theriot
Alex Gonzalez
Jack Wilson
Cesar Izturis
Izturis just has no value at this point. He doesn't even have the range he used to. Tejada, I think, is going to see his production continue to drop off, though Houston's park may help him a bit, and he's very, very expensive. Wilson and Gonzalez may both be better than Theriot to varying degrees, but they are both really overpaid, too. JJ Hardy takes the cake for best combination of talent, potential, and cheapness (or did he get a long term deal this winter?). Keppinger looks like a quality hitter, though we'll see whether he's a legit shortstop. Theriot goes ahead of the expensive mediocre players in my book simply because his salary doesn't prevent you from improving the club elsewhere and he provides acceptable defense, and, who knows, maybe he'll hit a little and steal some bases.
If we're not looking much at price or age, then the list goes pretty much how Rob G. has it.
Re: NL Central Smackdown: Shortstops
Were those 3-year future projection done for Tejada when we thought he was 31, or now that we know he is at least 33? Just curious if that was factored in...
Re: Tejada's Age
Nate Silver re-ran PECOTA after Tejada's age revelation came to light:
Re: NL Central Smackdown: Shortstops
"What is thees?"
Re: NL Central Smackdown: Shortstops
Re: NL Central Smackdown: Shortstops
There is alot of Homer voting, so far on the poll Theriot ranks ahead of Wilson, and almost at Hardy. Or maybe everyone thinks Theriot plays better defense than he really does. Wilson and Hardy are much better defensively.
Thinking of the other rankings, this is probably our weakest position (maybe CF is weaker, but I think another Cub ghost saves us from the bottom on that one.........)
Re: NL Central Smackdown: Shortstops
Yeah... voters are being kind to Theriot. Interestingly, if this poll was for utility player, I'd rank Theriot a lot higher. He's much more valuable as a utility player.
Re: NL Central Smackdown: Shortstops
I am no good at this game. I think I just like defense too much.
Re: NL Central Smackdown: Shortstops
Re: NL Central Smackdown: Shortstops
From your link:
"MVP voters in the National League must have realized this when they gave the award in 2007 to a base-stealing shortstop with an OBP below .350."
If that is satire, it's brilliant. Otherwise -- to call Rollins a "base-stealing SS with an OBP below .350" conveniently leaves out his 28 doubles, 20 triples and 30 HR.
Re: NL Central Smackdown: Shortstops
That is a simplification, but Rollins probably should have been beaten in the MVP vote by his teammate Utley, or a few other guys around the league. But voters like flashy players, especially flashy shortstops.
Re: NL Central Smackdown: Shortstops
I think you can similarly argue that voters find that kind of offense from a SS to be very valuable.
Re: NL Central Smackdown: Shortstops
And at least Rollins is a legit SS, whereas Ramirez has yet to play decent defense.
In additionally, the above average defense from Rollins at short surely helped the Phils more than Holliday's average defense in left field. Still, I think Utley outperformed him, since Utley's not so shabby a defender at second base. Too bad for Chase he missed that time with the hand injury, or he would've been a shoe-in. Then again, he looks to be on-pace to make an even better bid at the award this year. Especially since I really believe the Cards will eventually suck badly enough to take Pujols out of consideration.
Re: 2007 NL MVP
I can see where you wouldn't have Rollins winning it, but I don't see how Hanley had a much better season. They were pretty much even in most all categories. Ramirez had the edge in Doubles, BA, OBP, and SB. Rollins had the edge in Runs, Triples, RBI, SLG, and SB%. I wouldn't have put either of them first. But around the 3-5 area I would have put Rollins ahead of Ramirez because he a) played on a winning team, and b) plays much better defense. Rollins was 3rd in fielding percentage behind Vizquel and Tulowitski; Ramirez was 20th in MLB. The only SS who had a lower zone rating than Ramirez was Jeter. There was talk of moving him to center for good reason, he is awful out there.
Re: NL Central Smackdown: Shortstops
OK, who voted for Izturis? Dusty, is that you?
micah owings (ARZ) is f'n awesome...
owings...the pitcher...pinch hit homer.
.421 on the year (8 for 19) with his first homer.
lucky guy...
...wait...not so lucky...so skilled.
last year: 60ab 20h 4hr 7 doubles (.333 avg)
Re: micah owings (ARZ) is f'n awesome...
hell, forget the pitchers.
there's bench bats and even regulars who wish they could hit like owings has so far.
we might be dealing with the first pitcher in a long time who will have a legit point about having extra worth because of his bat come arb/FA time if he keeps up even a fraction of what he's doing.
79ab 28h 8doubles 1triple 5hr (3bb 20k, .354avg)
Re: micah owings (ARZ) is f'n awesome...
owings had a statistically insignificant but interesting company in "pitchers with 4hr in first 2 season".
jim rooker who hit all 4 of his homers in his 2nd year with a .281/.300 avg/ob% who played in the 70s.
the other guy was some guy who didn't last long as a pitcher named 'ruth'.
rick ankiel eat your heart out.
Re: Minor League info
interesting to say the least.
i'd be upset, too, if i was mateo.
it seems like they dont have a plan for him if they're shuffling him that much this early.
it's obvious he has things to work on, but he needs to actually work with someone steady rather than making 3 adjustments and 3 new sets of faces all within a month.
he's got a career to think about and its in the cub's hands. if they dont spell out something for him that he buys i imagine he could be traded for peanuts pretty damn soon. its not like hendry is known for being a career wrecker dealing with fringe guys who are on the downside of their value and blocked legitimately by others.
Recent comments
I hope they hold onto Jimenez. Outfield depth is questionable, especially with McKinney, who struggled this year but still, gone.
You don't think he's improved? He looks completely different out there than he did when he first came up. The last I checked his K rate was in the low 20% range - 22-23 or so. When he came up it was 40%+.
To me, what is scary about him if I'm the other guy is that he IS learning the strike zone. This guy could easily be the MVP someday.
So, playing .500 for the rest of the year puts them at 91 wins. You would think there is enough talent to do a little better than that, right?
First team to 60 wins! Onward to 70, 80, 90 and 100!
I. Hate. The. Mets.
OK Marlins -- take 'em down. Fernandez, at home, tomorrow for the Fish.
Gotta say, though -- as much as I can't stand them, the Cardinals have had some very impressive late-inning wins against premier closers.
Very impressive that he hit a 3-2 curve ball. Such a dynamic ballplayer. If he ever learns the strike zone....
If Jason Hammel doesn't get a potato chip sponsorship deal, somebody messed up. Attaboy, Jason!
I am looking forward to AChap facing the Cardinals.
Sure is fun to watch them score finally. To think they were no-hit until the 7th...
Got to admit it - it was comforting seeing Rondon come out for the eighth after just taking a two run lead ... And put the hammer down with a 7 pitch inning. Good stuff
blown the hell open...7 run lead
11 hits off Wainwright tonight. Everything going right for the Cards right now. Motherfucking motherfuckers.
it was more no-doubt than bryant's HR. it wont make any end-of-season highlight reels, but that one was booked to leave on contact.
Javy! Javy! Javy!
How sweet was that - Cranked it!
393 happy feet
cubs take a 2 run lead in the 7th. sweet.


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"Bar" comes before "deli" in the name of this brave little establishment, and for good reason. A charming Italian restaurant in the respectable hours, a boisterous beatnik headquarters when the lights dim, NONI'S BAR & DELI has administered new life to a storied street. After two years, its hipster hangout status is no longer top secret. Without TVs or video games, it's sleek and sophisticated, all while keeping a Sicilian grandmother's touch. And the Saturday night dance parties have become the sweatiest and most talked about in the city. If only grandma's cookbook called for all those PBRs and shots of Jameson. 357 Edgewood Ave. 404-343-1808 www.nonisdeli.com.
© 2016 Creative Loafing Atlanta


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Read an Excerpt
Chapter 1
It was time to speak of unpleasant things. Lord Harry Hayward toyed with his brandy glass and glanced at his aunt-by-marriage. Her hopeful expression made it more difficult for him to start.
Lady Hayward shifted impatiently in her dainty, padded chair. Then she took a deep breath, stretching the low neckline of her dress tightly across full mounds of creamy flesh. "Did you find any trace of the Hayward jewels?"
He shook his head. "The safe was just as you said, full of nothing but papers, most of them bills. I searched every nook and cranny of that old house and have been to both of the banks my uncle did business with. The jewels are well and truly gone."
She sighed. "Osmond must have sold them, although I don't know when or where. He told me he was keeping them locked away for safety's sake. I wish I'd noticed his deteriorating mental state sooner. I might have been able to do something. Of course, he had strong feelings about women being sheltered from all business matters. I had no idea his affairs were in such a state until he was no longer able to contend with the bill collectors, and they started coming to me. What will we do now?"
We again. Harry had to force his jaws apart to keep from grinding his teeth. With his mother, two aunts and assorted cousins all looking to him to be the head of the Hayward family, he was beginning to feel as if he were buried in needy relatives. Most of the family blamed the woman in front of him for the sorry state of affairs now existing within the Haywards. They said she'd disrupted the bonds of familial love between Baron Osmond Hayward and his blood relations and had led her elderly husband into spending themall into near-bankruptcy.
Harry had been in school when the twenty-year-old Veronica married the sixty-year-old baron. After that he'd been too involved with his career in the army to pay much attention to the gossip swirling about the couple. But he did remember the family's vehement disapproval of the marriage had caused the baron to break ties with them. Veronica, on the other hand, had stayed with the querulous old man for seventeen years, and now found herself left with a small fund that didn't earn enough to support a lady in proper style.
He couldn't help feeling sorry for her plight. He just didn't want to be responsible for her, too. If his cousin, Rodney, hadn't gotten so drunk he couldn't stay on his horse, none of this would be Harry's problem.
He took another sip of his brandy. "The truth of the matter is I don't know how I'm going to stay afloat in this sea of bills I've inherited. The money I received for selling my commission won't come close to settling my uncle's debts. Conditions on the estate in Dorset are so poor I don't know when I can hope to turn a profit there. I promised you could stay in this house, but it's the only property in the estate that isn't entailed. I don't see how I can avoid selling it, or at the very least, letting it out. You are, of course, welcome to live on the estate in Dorset."
Her pained expression didn't surprise him. She'd made her distaste for the old Elizabethan house in Dorset well known. She'd lived mostly in this London house, even when his uncle had chosen to remain in the country. That's why Harry could well believe her claim to have been unaware of her husband's dwindling mental capacities in the last years of his life.
"If you put this place on the market with bill collectors in hot pursuit, everyone will know you're in a hurry to sell and offer much less than it's worth," she said.
He shrugged. "I know, but it's unavoidable."
She braced her elbows on the arms of her chair and leaned back. "I might be able to help you. At least raise enough money so that we can maintain the appearance of solvency for the time being."
"Oh?" Surely the dowager baroness isn't considering returning to the stage?
She tapped two slender fingers against her cheek as if she were having trouble selecting her words. "A long time ago, the Duke of Windingham and I were friends. He got into a bit of a scrape, and I offered to help him out. A baby girl needed to be provided for, but he didn't want his name connected with her. Down through the years he has advanced me the money, and I have paid her caregivers. The girl is nearing eighteen, and he wants to see her properly married.
"With your help, he'll surely place me in charge of such matters as obtaining a new wardrobe and a trousseau for her. There will be ample opportunity to add extras to the bills I send him."
Her plan was so preposterous Harry could only stare at her with his mouth slightly agape. In the first place she was suggesting they steal from one of the most powerful noblemen in the realm. Secondly, Harry had spent ten years as an officer and, he hoped, a gentleman in her Majesty's army. Damned if he'd let this title he'd inherited drive him into dishonesty.
She apparently saw his resistance for she waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about the duke causing trouble. All he cares about is keeping the world from knowing he has any connection with this girl. He owes me for hiding his dirty little secret all these years, and anyway, he's as rich as Croesus."
Harry suspected there was a lot more to this story than a friend helping out a friend, but Veronica had evidently been obtaining money from the duke for some time, so why did she need him? "What part would I play in this scheme?"
She took her hand away from her face and leaned closer as if she were about to share a great secret. "Aside from the nuisance of my being in mourning, my position in ton isn't as high as the duke's."
Harry eyed her as she spoke--her crimson dress looked nothing like widow's weeds. He also knew that a number of doors in the higher reaches of society had always been closed to her.
She continued. "These facts might inspire the duke to think I won't be able to arrange a suitable marriage for ... the orphan. However, if he thinks I might snare a young baron for her, that would clearly be an excellent match, and he'll be eager to support my efforts."
Harry immediately shook his head. "I'll not marry a stranger for the price of a couple of dresses."
"Of course, not. You need to marry a woman with a larger income than the duke will undoubtedly settle on his little waif. But if you and I are seen with her in a few public places, say museums and such, talk will get back to him. God knows everybody in this town loves to gossip about me, and they're always curious about new lords. The duke will assume you're interested in the girl, and since I'm your uncle's widow, he'll see I'm best qualified to promote the match. Getting money out of him after that should be easy."
"And what happens when he learns there's to be no marriage?"
"I'll simply say you two didn't suit and that I'll look elsewhere. I'll see the girl decently matched. We won't get vast amounts of money. The duke's amazingly tight-fisted for such a wealthy man, but we'll get enough to calm the creditors and give you time to raise more in a less helter-skelter manner. Did you notice the artwork in the house in Dorset? I know nothing about art, but your uncle used to brag about how old some of those pictures were. Surely they're worth a good deal?"
Harry didn't know what to say to this scheme, so he just stared at her.
After a tense moment of silence, she spoke again. "I talked your uncle into buying this house. By rights, it should have been left to me. Now it's the Hayward estate's most valuable asset." Her voice became tremulous. "I had hoped to, at least, live out my year of mourning here, before having to make my own way in the world. Six more months, and I'm offering to help you pay household expenses. Is that too much to ask?"
Guilt weighed on Harry's shoulders. "What do you want me to do?"
The twinkle came back into her eyes. "First we must fetch the orphan. She's in the village of Peavey. It's not far from London, but unfortunately it's not on the rail lines and making travel arrangements for such a trip will be difficult for a woman."
A small burst of annoyance filled his chest at the thought of being responsible for yet another woman. "Surely you don't want me to travel alone with her."
"Of course not. I'll send Mrs. Walters with you. We must guard the girl's reputation carefully. She's living with a clergyman and his wife. I'll write him a letter saying you are my appointed agent."
Harry questioned his own sanity as he let Veronica talk on about the arrangements that must be made. He'd just agreed to participate in a scheme to get money under false pretenses by misleading a young woman he'd never set eyes on. Of course, he wouldn't actually court her. He could be friendly, but do nothing to raise her hopes. And he'd be helping her come to London where she could make a better marriage than she could ever hope for in some backwater village.
The vicar had been in a sour mood all day. As soon as he dismissed the students, Mr. Milhouse left the classroom, and Annie began cleaning the slates and placing the books in their proper places. She dawdled over her work, wanting to avoid him for as long as possible. Of course, taking too long to tidy the classroom would be another reason for him to berate her, so she finally accepted the inevitable and returned to the part of the house that served as the vicarage.
The cook delivered the tea tray just as Annie arrived in the parlor. Mrs. Milhouse sat near a window to better see her mending, so Mr. Milhouse gestured toward the tea table and said, "Would you be so kind as to serve today, Annie?"
Knowing from his peevish tone it wasn't a real question, she nodded and took her place beside the tray. She warned herself not to make any mistakes, but that only made her more nervous. Her hand must have trembled a bit as she attempted to pour the first cup, or the dratted cook had overfilled the pot, for several drops of steaming tea plopped onto the linen tea tray cover. Mrs. Milhouse gasped.
The vicar made a noise that sounded like a growl. "You careless, careless girl. Have you no concern for the work Mrs. Milhouse must do to present us with the niceties of life?"
"I'm sorry," she murmured and continued to pour the tea.
"Put the pot down," the vicar ordered, "before you spill the whole of it."
She set the pot down, folded her hands in her lap, and stared at them.
"Into my study," he commanded.
Another birching. She knew she'd suffer less if she meekly accepted her punishment, but she was one week from her eighteenth birthday and resented being treated like a child. So she continued to sit.
"Well?" he demanded and pointed an imperial finger toward his study.
Being an orphan with nothing between her and the workhouse but the kindness of Mr. and Mrs. Milhouse, she sighed in resignation and headed for the study.
He followed at a leisurely pace, letting her stew over what was to come. After closing the door behind himself, he said, "I do not enjoy having to do this, Annie, but it's for your own good. You must learn to exercise care in all things. It has long been my hope to train you to become a teacher, but teachers are entrusted with the precious commodity of young minds. They must be in control of themselves at all times."
He reached into the corner near the doorway and picked up the bundle of birch switches that had been carefully tied together. The law said a man couldn't beat a woman with a stick larger than the circumference of his thumb, but apparently did not concern itself with the bundling together of many sticks. Annie knew from experience that such bundles delivered numerous painful stings at one time.
The vicar swished the bundle through the air several times. Then he used it to point toward his desk.
Annie bent over the desk and braced her hands against it. He lifted her skirt and petticoat, flipping them up and over her backside and leaving nothing but her thin cotton drawers between her and the switches. He stood beside her and let her tension build. How hard will the blows be? How many will there be?
When she'd first come to live with them, Mrs. Milhouse had delivered her discipline, but when Annie had grown taller than the short, stout woman, Mr. Milhouse had decided his wife was no longer up to the task and had taken it upon himself. At first Annie had been frightened and embarrassed to have a man beat her, and she'd tried to make as little fuss as possible during the ordeals. Eventually she realized the whippings would go on and grow harsher until she cried and moaned and gave every sign of being in great pain. After she learned what he wanted, the beatings became almost ritualistic. Recently something different had begun to happen during the beatings. Something else frightening.
She curved her back, holding her backside as high as possible while in this position.
Thwack! The first blow was laid sharply across both cheeks. She twitched and squealed.
Thwack! She bucked and squealed louder.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! The bursts of stinging pain made it easy for her to forget all modesty and jerk and squeal like a frightened piglet. When she paused to take a breath, she heard his harsh breathing. He moved to the other side of her body and "accidentally" brushed his thigh against her hip. At least, she hoped it was his thigh.
Dear God, please take me away from here. Please. Please.
"But, Madam, I have business with Mr. Milhouse." Harry put his shoulder against the door and forced it open so he could get past the short, stout woman and into the hallway of the vicarage. The lace on her cap and the lack of an apron told him she wasn't a servant, but her excited gibberish as she'd sought to deny him entrance made him wonder if she might be addle-pated. Then he heard noises from behind a nearby closed door. He'd suffered too many canings during his schooldays to mistake that sound. But the high-pitched squeals following each strike were those of a female.
Surely, a young woman who was nearly eighteen wasn't being subjected to such punishment? With no thought to the propriety of his actions, Harry stepped over to the door and flung it open. White billows of upturned petticoats framed a barely covered, plump little arse supported on two lean but shapely legs spread for best support.
He stared open-mouthed at the scene. How could the vicar possibly see this and not have his manly urges stirred? Harry couldn't.
Then the rotund man holding the bundle of switches turned and glared at him. "Go away!"
His red face and the bulge in the front of his trousers told Harry all he needed to know about Mr. Milhouse. "I beg your pardon, sir, but is that Miss Annie Smith you have stretched over your desk?"
The vicar at least had the decency to place his body in front of his hapless victim before asking, "Who are you?"
In the background, the little woman in the hallway was chirping, "I told him not to come in! I told him!"
Reminding himself that he had no idea what the young woman might have done to inspire this treatment, Harry fought down an urge to grab that bundle of switches and give the vicar a dose of his own medicine. Instead he glared at the man. "I'm Lord Harry Hayward and I've come to fetch Miss Smith."
"Fetch her?" The vicar's chest puffed up like a rooster whose territory was being threatened.
"Her benefactress has decided it's time for Miss Smith to leave the schoolroom." Harry pulled an envelope from this pocket and extended it to the man. "I have a letter stating her wishes. I'm sure you'll recognize her handwriting from the quarterly bank drafts she has sent."
The young woman's head popped from behind Mr. Milhouse and she wiped a tear from her cheek. "Someone's been sending bank drafts for me?"
Her eyes were so large they made her face look childlike, and the tears swimming in them made the light brown color shine like gold. It was impossible to imagine this angel would ever deserve a beating. "Miss Smith, I presume?"
She nodded and stepped from behind the vicar. Harry quickly saw there was nothing childish about the rest of her. Even with her dress buttoned up under her chin and her body tightly corseted, her feminine curves weren't hidden. Perhaps she wasn't as angelic as she'd first appeared to be.
Mr. Milhouse called to the woman in the hall, "Take Annie into the parlor. I'll handle this."
The little woman extended a plump hand, but Miss Smith ignored the gesture and stared at Harry with great intensity. "Who is my benefactress?"
"My aunt-by-marriage, Lady Veronica Hayward."
"How long has she been paying for my keep?"
"I know little about my aunt's charitable activities. You'll have to ask her when you see her."
Miss Smith glared at Mr. Milhouse. "Why have I never heard of this before?"
Milhouse ignored her question and shook his head at Harry. "This is most irregular. I can't send this innocent young woman off with a man I know nothing of."
The vicar's words caused Miss Smith to frown at Harry. He smiled at her reassuringly. "I've brought my aunt's housekeeper with me, a most respectable woman. She's waiting to help you pack. I'd like to get started as soon as possible."
She mulled over his words for a moment, and then asked, "Where are we going?"
"You don't have to go with him, Annie," Mr. Milhouse said in an almost pleading tone.
Harry once again extended Veronica's letter. "If you'll read this, sir, you'll see there's to be no more money for Miss Smith's upkeep."
Mr. Milhouse looked back and forth between the letter and the girl. Finally he said, "It doesn't matter. You can stay here and teach in our school. I've been training you for that. You'll have a decent, god-fearing life. Who knows what these-these aristocrats have in mind for you."
Miss Smith stared at Harry, chewing on her lower lip. Then she turned back to the vicar, her frown increasing and her mouth twisting into an angry knot. "You said you were taking care of me out of the goodness of your heart, but you were being paid to do it. You, sir, are a liar." She tossed out the last word as if it were the greatest insult possible.
The vicar sputtered, "Lady Hayward requested anonymity. I-I--"
But Miss Smith would hear no more. With her head up and her back straight, she stormed out of the room. Good show.
Her prayers had been answered and so quickly. Annie brushed past Mrs. Milhouse, who was wringing her hands in distress. No doubt she feared her husband would vent all his spleen on her if Annie left. Oh, well, she could always take in another orphan.
Just then a prim, older woman, dressed all in gray and carrying a portmanteau, appeared in the front doorway. "May I come in?" she asked. Without waiting for an answer, she stepped inside and stared at Annie for a moment as though having trouble seeing her in the dimmer light of the hallway. Finally she said, "Are you Miss Smith?"
Annie nodded.
"I'm Mrs. Walters, Lady Hayward's housekeeper." The woman had a kind, trustworthy air about her.
A strapping young man wearing faded livery stepped through the doorway with a trunk balanced on his back. "And this is Dennis. We've brought luggage to pack your clothing in, Miss. Where's your room?"
Annie couldn't believe her good fortune. This was her chance to get away from the constant pressure of living with a bully and to go to London, the one place where she might find out who she really was. Without hesitation, she waved toward the staircase.
Mrs. Walters smiled. "Lead the way."
Annie started up the stairs, but the sound of footsteps following after her, reminded her she was leading total strangers up to her bedroom and was about to leave her home of the last twelve years with them. The vicar and Mrs. Milhouse might be distant and sometimes harsh people, but they'd provided her with all the necessities of life. Who knew what these strangers would do?
But God wouldn't send bad people to take her away. If Lady Hayward had been paying her keep all these years, she must be a kind and charitable woman. She might want Annie to be her companion or even to work in her house as a servant. Annie wouldn't mind that--she'd had plenty of training for such work at the vicarage. And suppose Lady Hayward knew something of Annie's past? She couldn't miss the possibility of finding out anything about her parents. Even if they were dead, there might be other relatives. Surely there's somebody in this world who can love me?
She reached her little attic room and stepped aside to admit the others. The young man sat the trunk down. "Just give a whistle when you're ready, Mrs. Walters."
"Thank you, Dennis."
After he left the room, Mrs. Walters turned to Annie. "Where are your clothes?"
Annie pointed to the garments hanging on wooden pegs along one wall, and then threw open the chest that held her personal items. As she reached in to pick up a chemise, Mrs. Walters said, "Perhaps you'd like to change your clothing, while I do the packing."
Of course. Annie couldn't go to London wearing a ratty old everyday dress. She found just enough tepid water left in the pitcher on the washstand to allow her a scanty wash up. She didn't dare go for more and give Mr. Milhouse another chance to try and frighten her out of leaving.
By the time she buttoned up the jacket to her Sunday dress, Mrs. Walters, with great efficiency, had finished packing the clothes. There wasn't a lot to pack. The trunk wasn't completely full and the other bag had been left open to receive the last of Annie's personal articles after she finished dressing.
When Annie picked up her comb, Mrs. Walters took it from her and gestured for her to sit on the side of the bed. In truth, Annie would have preferred to remain standing for her bottom still smarted from the beating, but no one had offered to fix her hair since she'd learned to braid it herself, so she meekly submitted to the woman's attentions.
While Mrs. Walters combed, Annie asked, "Have you worked for Lady Hayward long?"
"About ten years."
Annie had left London when she was six years old, so there was no need to ask this woman if she knew anything about Annie's background. "Are there other orphans at Lady Hayward's house?"
"No, you'll be the only one. Where are your hairpins?"
Annie pointed at the little tin box and then became too interested in what Mrs. Walters was doing to her hair to ask more questions. After using little combs to make waves over each temple, she coiled the rest of Annie's hair neatly at the nape of her neck. Then she carefully placed the bonnet on Annie's head and tied the ribbons into a bow under her chin. Annie felt like a grand lady and wondered if she'd receive more of this type of coddling in her new life.
When they were ready to go downstairs, Mrs. Walters summoned Dennis. After he'd again hoisted the trunk over his shoulder, Annie led the way down the stairs. Mr. and Mrs. Milhouse waited in the downstairs hallway. She was all teary-eyed and he was puffed up like an angry bullfrog. Out of respect for Mrs. Milhouse's tears, Annie gave her a quick hug, but stayed out the vicar's reach.
"This is ill-advised, Annie," he snarled.
Her long-time habit of always obeying this man made her hesitate for just a moment. But the call of a new, better life spurred her on. Murmuring, "Goodbye, sir," she shot out the door.
Harry had been so agitated by the scene he'd interrupted when he barged into the vicar's office that he'd decided to wait for the women outside. Standing in the shade of their coach, he told himself corporal punishment was standard treatment in most schools in England. Still, he feared something had been going on in that room other than routine punishment.
Miss Smith might have done something to deserve such treatment. With her pretty, childlike face and womanly body, she would readily attract male attention. Could she be the village flirt and the vicar only seeking to mend her wayward ways? His obvious disappointment at the prospect of her leaving his house had suggested something else. Has he molested the girl? God! If she really has close ties to the Duke of Windingham, this could have serious repercussions.
But it wasn't Harry's problem. He only had to deliver her to London, and then take her out in public a time or two. And what could he do, anyway? It would be improper for him to ask the young woman outright if something untoward had gone on between her and the vicar. Perhaps he'd tell Mrs. Walters what he'd seen in the vicar's office and let her make inquiries. She seemed like a sensible woman. Surely, she'd know how to handle it.
Dennis trudged out of the house carrying the trunk and heading for the back of the coach. Knowing the man would have trouble strapping it on the rear platform by himself, Harry went to help. By the time the trunk was secured, the two women were waiting beside the coach.
Dressed in a brown skirt, and loose mantle, Miss Smith might have been any village woman until she turned so he could see her face. Her cheeks were flushed, her golden eyes wide with excitement and her plump lips drawn into a bow of consternation. Was she excited--or frightened?
Harry automatically moved to her, wanting to reassure and protect. As he lightly touched her arm, he felt her recoil. He quickly stepped away and opened the coach door to make it clear his only intention was to help her inside. She smiled a timid thank you. Once she was settled, he took the portmanteau from Mrs. Walters and handed her inside the coach.
Dennis was busy untying the horses, so Harry stored the valise in the space behind the driver's seat. As soon as he was seated across from the two women, the whip snapped and coach started moving. Miss Smith leaned forward so she could look out the window at the vicarage. Her face was so serious he thought she might cry, but then she sighed and sank back against the cushions.
Seeking to distract her from gloomy thoughts, he asked, "Have you ever been to London, Miss Smith?"
"I used to live there when I was a child."
"So you're familiar with the city?"
"Not really. I was barely six years old when I came to live in Peavey. Where does your aunt live?"
"Near Belgrave Square."
"Have you ever heard of a street named Cheapgate?"
That street was in the old city. "Yes, I've heard of it."
"I'd like to go there."
Mrs. Walters joined the conversation. "Nothing of interest there, Miss, it's mostly shops and such."
"I think I used to live there."
Mrs. Walters looked a bit alarmed by her statement. The woman was so close with Veronica that Harry suspected she knew more about Miss Smith's background than he did.
The older woman asked a question in a soft voice. "What else do you remember about London?"
Miss Smith shrugged. "Just a lot of buildings and people."
Mrs. Walters smiled. "Well, you'll find many interesting things to see in the city, like parks and museums and theaters."
Miss Smith's topaz eyes opened widely. "I've never been to a theater. Traveling players sometimes came through Peavey, but Mr. Milhouse doesn't approve of such."
Harry made a mental note to take her to a theatre.
As it was late in the afternoon, they didn't travel long before the coach reached the destination Harry had given Dennis. Seeing Miss Smith stare out the window at the courtyard of a large inn with a puzzled frown, he sought to reassure her. "This seems to be the best inn in the area, so we'll stop here for the night."
She gave him another of those wide-eyed looks, almost as if she were frightened. Perhaps she'd never stayed in an inn before.
Servants and guests rushed about the front room of the inn. Annie tried to stay out of the way by standing in a corner while Lord Hayward talked to the innkeeper. Even without his top hat, Lord Hayward was much taller than the other man. His frock coat was a rich chocolate brown while his trousers and matching weskit were the color of a fawn's belly. But clothes and height weren't his only distinctions. He moved with a decisive air. He listened intently, or smiled brightly. Everything about him made him seem bolder than the people around him.
Then she reminded herself that he was a gentleman from London, and the people around him were just simple villagers. Would there be many men in London like Lord Hayward? If there were, how would a country lass keep her head from being turned?
Mrs. Walters, who had stayed at the coach to show Dennis which pieces of luggage to remove, entered the inn. Lord Hayward finished his negotiations with the innkeeper and took her aside for a private conversation. As they talked, they both glanced at Annie. She turned away, embarrassed to be caught staring.
Were they talking about her? Annie recalled the stories Mrs. Milhouse had told her about innocent young women being disgraced by noblemen. Annie hadn't considered the possibility of such a thing because she was traveling with a proper chaperone. She glanced their way again. Mrs. Walters still looked at her, her expression grim. Annie realized the woman was only a servant. Could she protect Annie from a lord? Would she even want to?
Then Lord Hayward handed Mrs. Walters a key and the woman walked over to Annie. "We can go up to our room now."
Annie sighed in relief.
Mrs. Walter's brow furrowed. "Do you object to sharing a room with me?"
"Oh, no, ma'am. Let me help with one of the valises." Annie smiled broadly at her own stupidity. How could she have imagined an important gentleman like Lord Hayward would have any interest in a nobody like her? That's what she got for listening to Mrs. Milhouse's silly stories. What did a village vicar's wife know about noblemen, anyway?
The room they were to share proved to be small, but neat and clean. Mrs. Walters set to work, unpacking their nightclothes and setting Annie's comb and brush out on the top of a chest of drawers. "We'll be going down to supper soon, dearie. You might want to remove your bonnet and straighten your hair a bit."
Annie followed the suggestion, staring into a smoky mirror that hung over the chest. Then she realized Mrs. Walters was hovering near her elbow and turned to look at her.
"Are you feeling all right?" the woman asked.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Do you need my help with anything?"
Mrs. Walters pursed her lips for a moment before saying, "Lord Hayward told me about the beating you received. Should we look to see if you're injured?"
Now Annie knew what they had been talking about. She shook her head vehemently. "No, ma'am, I'm fine. It was no worse than any other beating I've received."
Mrs. Walters looked askance. "Did he beat you often?"
Annie didn't want the woman to think she frequently misbehaved. "No, ma'am. But the vicar has high standards, and he wanted me to be a good girl."
"Why did he beat you this time?"
Annie could no longer look the woman in the eye. "I spilled some tea. Just a few drops from the pot."
"Did he do anything besides hit you?"
Should she tell about him brushing up against her? Maybe it was nothing. Mr. Milhouse was a heavyset man and clumsy. Mrs. Milhouse's stories probably had Annie starting at shadows. "He lectured a lot, ma'am."
Mrs. Walters patted her arm. "All right, Annie, but if you need help or want to talk about some problem, you can come to me."
Why would a servant, especially one as high as a housekeeper, care about Annie's problems? "Thank you, ma'am."
After they freshened up, Annie followed Mrs. Walters to a private dining room where Lord Hayward waited. Three chairs stood around a table and one of them had an extra cushion. Annie tried not to blush as Lord Hayward held that chair for her.
He'd already ordered the meal. After a first course of thin soup, the waiter brought a large beef pie. Annie was greatly impressed for they had beef at the vicarage only on occasional Sundays. Mrs. Walters served the plates and Annie ate with relish since she'd missed her tea earlier.
She caught sight of Lord Hayward and Mrs. Walters exchanging sly smiles and feared they were amused by her greedy table manners, so she straightened her back and began to chew more slowly. When Lord Hayward asked if she'd like currant pudding for desert, she considered declining in order to seem more ladylike, but she dearly loved currant pudding so she smiled and said, "Yes, thank you."
After the pudding, Annie and Mrs. Walters had a pot of tea and Lord Hayward had a glass of port. Mr. Milhouse had often said alcoholic spirits led to riotous misbehavior so Annie watched Lord Hayward over the top of her teacup for the beginning signs of such, but he maintained a relaxed posture and mood. In fact, he seemed so easy-going she dared to seek more information about her future.
"What will I do when we reach my benefactress?"
He lowered his eyebrows, making his blue eyes seem darker. "Do?"
"I'm sure I'll have duties."
He swirled the red wine in his glass, making her aware of his long, slender fingers. His fingernails were very clean. "I suppose you can call learning the social arts a duty."
"What kind of arts?"
"The things one is expected to do in society, such as dancing and conducting dinner conversations and understanding precedent."
"Precedent? That's who comes before who in the nobility, isn't it?"
"Yes. I'm still learning that myself, so perhaps we can study together."
"But you're a lord!"
"It's a recent thing. Until a few months ago, I was an officer in her Majesty's army, second in line to inherit a baronetcy from my uncle. But the unexpected happened and here I am."
"Your uncle was my benefactress' husband?"
"That's right."
"Was his death unexpected?"
"Not really. He'd been in poor health for some time. But my cousin, who was first in line, was in excellent health until he fell from a horse during a foxhunt."
What a wonderful woman Annie's benefactress must be, to have to care for an ailing husband and yet still concern herself with orphans. Perhaps her husband's health was the reason they'd never met.
Finally Annie plucked up the courage to ask the question foremost in her mind. "Do you think your aunt knows of my parents? Mr. Milhouse said I was a foundling, but I keep hoping I can at least learn their names."
Lord Hayward smiled at her sympathetically. "I don't know, but you can ask Lady Hayward tomorrow."
Annie nodded and tried to smile. So much had happened to her so quickly. She was on her way to London to see her benefactress: a stranger. Did Lady Hayward know anything about Annie's past? Would she continue to help Annie in the future? What if she didn't like her?
Annie vowed to be on her very best behavior in Lady Hayward's presence.


text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Dec 9, 1986
|Filing date
|Sep 11, 1985
|Priority date
|Sep 11, 1985
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|Fred I. Nobel, James L. Martin, Michael P. Toben
|Original Assignee
|Learonal, Inc.
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (9), Referenced by (24), Classifications (28), Legal Events (4)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
This invention relates generally to composite electroplated palladium or palladium alloys. More particularly, the invention relates to the electrodeposition of a first layer of palladium/nickel or palladium/cobalt onto a suitable substrate followed by the electrodeposition of a second layer of palladium or palladium/silver to form the composite alloy.
Palladium and palladium alloys have been traditionally used as contact surfaces for electrical contacts and connectors. Primarily, these alloys have been used in the form of wrought alloys or clad inlays as a replacement for gold in such applications. In recent years, many manufacturers of electrical contacts and connectors have been seeking methods to electroplate palladium or palladium alloys since, in many applications, electroplating would be more economical.
Many electrical contacts are manufactured by first electroplating a precious metal deposit in the form of a narrow band or stripe onto a wider strip or surface area of basis metal using high speed, reel-to-reel plating equipment. The electoplated strip is then stamped and formed into a contact with the precious metal electrodeposit located at the exact point where contact is to be made with the mating part. The electrodeposit on this formed part must be tightly adherent, sound, crack-free, and porosity-free, even after the stamping and forming operations. In order for an electrodeposit to withstand such operations, it must have sufficient ductility, good adhesion to the base metal, and freedom from porosity in the electroplated condition. Cracking of the electrodeposits cannot be tolerated in the final product. The electrodeposit should have sufficient ductility to withstand the stresses of stamping and forming without producing further cracks, pores or peeling from the substrate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,269,671 discloses a method for electrodepositing a 60% by weight palladium 40% by weight silver alloy from a highly acidic solution containing a large amount of chloride ion. While the alloy obtained is a sound deposit, the plating solution is highly corrosive and causes severe displacement reactions to take place between the plating solution and the basis metal to be plated. These basis metals generally indude copper, nickel or their alloys. This type of high chloride plating solution for palladium/silver alloys as well known in the art as evidenced by Canadian Pat. No. 440,591. U.S. Pat. No. 4,269,671 discloses that the copper or nickel basis metals can be protected from the highly corrosive nature of such high chloride plating baths by first coating the basis metal with a thin layer of a precious metal. The precious metals suggested are silver and soft gold with the latter being preferred.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,060 describes a permanently solderable palladium/nickel electrodeposit of a thickness of about 0.1 to 1.5 micrometers having about 46 to 82 atomic percent palladium, balance nickel. This layer is covered by an extremely thin (i.e., about 20 angstroms) second layer of almost pure palladium. The second layer of palladium is formed not by electroplating, but by dipping the first layer into a solution of sulfuric or hydrochloric acid. This combination is described as forming a permanently solderable palladium/nickel electrodeposit.
The invention relates to a method for electroplating a dual layer palladium alloy deposit which comprises electrodepositing a first layer of a palladium/nickel or palladium/cobalt alloy upon a substrate in a thickness sufficient to increase the ductility and reduce the porosity and tendency for cracking in the electrodeposit and electrodepositing a second layer of palladium or palladium/silver upon the first layer in a thickness sufficient for use as an electrical contact surface.
The invention also relates to the dual layer electrodeposit produced by this method. This dual layer electrodeposit comprises a first layer of a palladium/nickel or palladium/cobalt alloy and a second layer of palladium or palladium/silver. The most advantageous palladium/nickel or palladium/cobalt alloy comprises between abut 50 and 95 weight percent palladium, balance nickel or cobalt, while the preferred palladium/silver alloy comprises between about 40 and 80 weight percent palladium, balance silver.
Preferably, the first layer has a thickness of at least about 0.5 microinch and the second layer has a thickness of about at least about 5 microinches.
Another aspect of the invention relates to an electrical contact comprising a metal substrate and the composite electrodeposit described previously. In this contact, the metal substrate usually comprises copper, nickel, or one of their alloys.
A further aspect of the invention relates to a method for reducing corrosion of a copper, nickel or copper/nickel basis metal substrate during electroplating of palladium/silver alloys from an acidic, high chloride electroplating bath which comprises electroplating a sufficient amount of a first layer of a palladium/nickel or palladium/cobalt alloy upon the substrate prior to electroplating the palladium/silver alloy. In this embodiment, a preferred thickness for the palladium/nickel or palladium/cobalt layer is at least about 10 microinches.
In order to achieve the composite alloy electrodeposits of palladium or palladium alloys according to the invention, it has surprisingly been found that a thin undercoating of a palladium/nickel or palladium/cobalt alloy, preferably containing about 20-95 and most preferably about 60-80% by weight palladium, is capable of substantially improving the ductility and reducing the porosity characteristics of the overall electrodeposit. The preferred commercial thickness of the composite is generally from about 20 to 60 microinches.
When plating such relatively thin deposits onto copper, nickel or their alloys, it is very difficult to obtain ductile and porosity-free electrodeposits even if the basis metal is first coated with a thin layer of gold, silver, or pure palladium. When a palladium/nickel or palladium/cobalt alloy is used as a thin undercoating, however, its combination deposit with pure palladium or palladium/silver alloys shows significant improvements in ductility and reduction of cracking and porosity.
A preferred palladium/nickel alloy plating bath is one which contains the following:
______________________________________Palladium metal 5-25 grams/liter(as palladium tetra-amine dichloride)Nickel metal 3-15 grams/liter(as nickel ammonium chloride)Ammonium chloride 10-100 grams/literAddition agent 0-15 grams/literTemperature 100-125� F.pH 7-9______________________________________
Ammonium chloride is used as a complexing agent to maintain the metals in solution. Other suitable complexing agents include any solution soluble ammonium salt or compound.
The addition agent is an organic compound or salt of an organic compound which imparts brightness and other desirable metallurgical characteristics to the deposit. Suitable addition agents include: sodium vinyl sulfonate, saccharin, sodium salts of benzene or naphthalene sulfonic acids, nicotinic acid, nicotinamide, and quaternized pyridinium compounds, with the latter being preferred. The most preferred palladium-nickel or palladium-cobalt alloy electrodeposits contain 75% palladium and 25% nickel or cobalt by weight, although any deposit containing about 50 to 95 weight percent palladium, balance nickel or cobalt, can be used. The pH of the bath is adjusted to the desired range of about 7-9 with ammonium hydroxide or any other base or basic component.
To obtain a palladium/cobalt alloy, the same bath as for palladium/nickel can be used except that slightly higher amounts (i.e., about 5-25 g/l) of cobalt metal are substituted for the nickel metal. Also, the pH for these palladium/cobalt baths may be as low as about 6.
When the second layer is pure palladium, it can be obtained from any prior art palladium electroplating solution, providing that such solution is capable of producing a sound, crack-free deposit.
Preferred palladium plating baths fall generally within the following formula:
palladium metal (as palladium amine chloride) 8-30 grams/liter
free ammonia or amine 5-50 grams/liter
addition agent 0-10 grams/liter
conductivity salt 0-50 grams/liter
pH 7-9.5
temperature 100�-140� F.
Suitable addition agents include those listed above for palladium/nickel or palladium-cobalt electroplating. Also, suitable conductivity salts include any bath soluble organic or inorganic compound such as, chloride, phosphate, pyrophosphate or like substituents capable of increasing electrical conductivity of the plating bath.
When palladium/silver is deposited as the second layer, the electroplating bath must be capable of producing a sound electrodeposit with the most preferred alloy being 60% palladium, 40% silver by weight. Such a deposit can be obtained from the bath described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,269,671 or Canadian Pat. No. 440,591. Since the baths of these patents are highly corrosive, the palladium/nickel or palladium/cobalt first layer must have a thickness of at least about 10 microinches before the palladium/silver alloy is electrodeposited to prevent corrosion of the basis metal substrate during the electroplating of palladium/silver.
Acid palladium/silver electroplating baths are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,478,692 and 4,465,563. These patents describe chloride-free electroplating baths containing strong acids for depositing sound palladium/silver alloys suitable for this invention. Other palladium/silver plating baths have been described by Medina in U.S. Pat. No. 3,053,741 which claims non-porous deposits from plating baths based upon the ammoniacal nitrate solution of palladium and silver at a pH of 7.5-11. Other alkaline palladium/silver electrolytes capable of producing sound, crack-free and porosity-free electrodeposits of palladium/silver alloys are described in the assignee's copending application, Ser. No. 742,258, filed June 7, 1985, now abandoned. Generally, such palladium/silver alloys have a palladium content of between about 20 and 95 weight percent palladium, balance silver. Since the cost of high palladium content alloys is relatively expensive, the usual practice is to use less than 80 weight percent palladium. As mentioned above, the most preferred palladium/silver alloys are thos containing between 40 and 80 weight percent palladium, balance silver, and specifically 60 weight percent palladium, 40 weight percent silver. To the extent that these patents disclose such suitable baths and deposition processes, their content is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The thickness of the palladium/nickel or palladium/cobalt undercoating would vary from about 0.5 to 50 microinches or more depending upon the bath and alloy selected for the second layer. A preferred thickness range is about 5 to 10 microinches. When the high chloride acidic plating electrolytes for palladium/silver are used, the thickness of the first layer should be at least about 10 to 20 microinches.
The thickness of the second layer is that which is sufficient to provide the necessary properties for the intended application. Typically, at least 2 microinches is utilized, and preferably between about 5 and 100 microinches. There is no upper limit for the thickness of the second layer, although it is unusual to have more than about 250 microinches due to economic factors. Typically, the deposit thickness of the composite ranges from about 20 to 60 microinches, since this thickness range is generally specified by the electrical contacts industry.
The scope of the invention is further described in connection with the following examples which are set forth for the sole purpose of illustrating the preferred embodiments of the invention and which are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.
30 microinches of pure palladium was electroplated onto a copper strip using conventional electroplating procedures. The electrolyte used contained the following:
palladium metal (as palladium tetraamino dichloride) 10 grams/liter
ammonium chloride: 50 grams/liter
quaternized pyridine: 1 gram/liter
pH 7.5
temperature 120� F.
current density 15 ASF
After plating, the strip was tested for porosity using the conventional electrographic porosity test. Another sample of strip was subjected to a bend test commonly used in the industry, described by J. Edwards, Trans. Inst. Met. Fin. Vol. 35, 1958. In this test, the electroplated strip is bent around a logarithmic former, and the deposit is examined for cracks and porosity.
Results showed some porosity before the bend test, but considerably increased porosity and cracking after the bend test.
A copper strip was first plated with 5 microinches of a 70% palladium/30% nickel alloy followed by 25 microinches of the pure palladium deposit obtained by the electroplating procedure of Example 1. The palladium-nickel electrolyte was as follows:
______________________________________palladium metal 10 grams/liter(as palladium tetraamino dichloride)nickel metal 5 grams/liter(as nickel ammonium chloride)ammonium chloride 50 grams/literquaternized pyridine 1 gram/literpH 7.5temperature 120� F.current density 15 ASF______________________________________
The combined thickness of the resultant electrodeposit was the same as in Example 1.
Results showed slight porosity before the bend test, but this example showed a significant improvement in both porosity and cracking after the bend test compared to results of Example 1.
A 60% palladium/40% silver alloy was obtained from an electroplating solutions described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,478,692 in accordance with the following:
______________________________________palladium metal (as palladium sulfate) 12 g/lsilver metal (as silver nitrate) 0.7 g/lmethane sulfonic acid 150 ml/ltemperature 130� F.current density 10 ASF______________________________________
A copper strip was prepared for plating using conventional procedures, then plated with about 5 microinches silver from a conventional silver cyanide plating solution, followed by 25 microinches of palladium-silver alloy from the above electrolyte. A porosity test before bending showed some porosity, however, after the bend test, the porosity increased dramatically and substantial cracking of the deposit was observed.
Example 3 was repeated, however, this time a 5 microinch gold undercoat was used in place of silver. The test results obtained for this example were essentially the same as those obtained in Example 3.
Example 3 was repeated, however, this time a 5 microinch undercoat of a 70% palladium/30% nickel alloy was first plated onto the copper strip. This was followed by the palladium/silver deposit to a thickness of about 25 microinches. The porosity test showed slight porosity before the bend test, but the deposit of this example showed a significant improvement in both porosity and cracking after the bend test as compared with results of Examples 3 and 4.
Example 1 was repeated, however, this time a 5 microinch undercoat of pure palladium was used from a palladium tetramine dichloride bath followed by the palladium/silver electrodeposit of Example 3 to a total thickness of 25 microinches. Porosity and cracking characteristics of this composite electrodeposit were not as good as those of Example 5, but were improved over the results of Examples 3 and 4.
Examples 3-6 were repeated, however, this time the palladium/silver alloy deposit was obtained from solutions described in assignee's copending application Ser. No. 742,258, filed June 7, 1985. Results were substantially the same as those of Examples 3-6.
A copper strip was first plated wth 5 microinches of a 90% palladium/10% cobalt alloy followed by 25 micro inches of the pure palladium deposit obtained by the electroplating procedure of Example 1. The palladium/cobalt electrolyte was as follows.
______________________________________palladium metal 12 grams/liter(as palladium tetraamino dichloride)cobalt metal 12 grams/liter(as cobalt chloride)ammonium chloride 75 grams/literquaternized pyridine 1 gram/literpH 6.3temperature 140� F.current density 15 ASF______________________________________
The combined thickness of the resultant electrodeposit was the same as in Example 1.
Results showed slight porosity before the bend test, but this example showed a significant improvement in both porosity and cracking after the bend test compared to results of Example 1.
While it is apparent that the invention herein disclosed is well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated, it will be appreciated that numerous modifications and embodiments may be devised by those skilled in the art, and it is intended that the appended claims cover all such modifications and embodiments as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.
|Cited Patent
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|Nov 15, 1983
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|E. I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company
|Solderable palladium-nickel coatings and method of making said coatings
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|The Furukawa Electric Company, Ltd.
|Silver-coated electric composite materials
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|Internat Silver Company
|Electrodepositing bath
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|Citing Patent
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|Aug 29, 1989
|Mar 27, 1990
|At&T Bell Laboratories
|Electrodeposition of palladium films
|May 11, 1990
|Jun 18, 1991
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|Palladium alloy electroplating process
|Dec 2, 1993
|Aug 1, 1995
|W. C. Heraeus Gmbh
|Electric outlet element having double flash
|Jun 16, 1994
|Oct 3, 1995
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|Process for preparing solderable integrated circuit lead frames by plating with tin and palladium
|Jun 27, 1996
|Jun 3, 1997
|National Semiconductor Corporation
|Solderable intergrated circuit lead frames plated with tin and palladium
|Apr 27, 1995
|Jul 22, 1997
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|Protective coating combination for lead frames
|Mar 31, 1997
|Mar 17, 1998
|National Semiconductor Corporation
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|Fuel tank resistor card having improved corrosion resistance
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|Method of reducing corrosion of silver containing surfaces
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|Fuel tank resistor card having improved corrosion resistance
|Apr 28, 2005
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|Method of reducing corrosion of silver containing surfaces
|Oct 31, 2005
|May 3, 2007
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|Orifice plate coated with palladium nickel alloy
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|Coated articles and methods
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|method for producing a solderable finish on metal frames for semiconductors
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|U.S. Classification
|200/268, 200/269, 428/673, 428/629, 205/176, 428/674, 428/680, 428/669, 428/670
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Sep 11, 1985
Owner name: LEARONAL, INC., 272 BUFFALO AVE. FREEPORT, NY 115
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST.;ASSIGNORS:NOBEL, FRED I.;MARTIN, JAMES L.;TOBEN, MICHAEL P.;REEL/FRAME:004459/0352
Effective date: 19850910
|May 11, 1990
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 4
|May 27, 1994
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 8
|Jun 8, 1998
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 12


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Cottage Grove, ORUSA
Hometown: cottage grove
October 20, 2013
why are we here... because we care. just good old folks who are old school. believe in the powers of the medicine.
hello all, I am a patient, grower and I live in the cottage grove area. I have been in Oregon for over 7 years now and have met some very cool folks. helping people is what we do, good karma, is what we believe.
Great folks, Great meds..honest, straight forward, New outdoor grower (lance) nice talking to you and Great meds thanks for the kindness.. love the old school thing too. Great to have a place to meet new people and find no nonsense when it come to your health....again great meds, smooth and taste are spot on. thanks for making it all possible....
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Local Area:
SO much to do all throughout the year. tourists all the time. when parents come, definitely check out ghost tours, museums, battlefield. take it all in, because it's definitely fun, educational, and totally awesome to know.
Local Area:
Very tourist area. Not much to do in town, but plenty of good restaurants and touristy shops. Nothing but farmland immediately outside of town.
Local Area:
The battlefields are beautiful. Many different attractions due to tourists. Safety is average in most areas after dark. Very safe during the day. Local outlets have a number of nice options. Residents are very nice towards students.
Local Area:
Sneaky really good bar town.. obviously surrounded by the battlefields which is good.
Local Area:
The College has a great atmosphere. The town of Gettysburg has a nice local community, and the College makes sure to keep involved and be a part of it.
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Gettysburg is somewhat of a culture shock for anyone coming from a large town or big city. The town is an exotic blend of small-town, rural America and a commercial tourist trap. Gettysburg reverts to its small-town roots in the winter, but as May approaches and tourists begin to show up in large numbers, the hoop-skirts and wool uniforms of re-enactors overtake the more traditional Penn State sweatshirts and designer baggy jeans of students. The immigration of decked-out Civil War buffs to the area is both tragic and a bit hilarious for much of the GC student population.
Gettysburg offers the essentials to students, including a slew of fast food restaurants, a Wal-Mart, a Staples, and a few other assorted mega stores. However, other than an inordinate number of bars and restaurants, Gettysburg offers little else. Of course, if a little exploring is undertaken, a wide range of interesting (albeit out-of-the-way) destinations can be discovered. This is perhaps reserved, however, to people who are interested in more than drinking and partying-a combination that quickly becomes the routine for GC students.
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Shawn Holmes
By day, 15 year veteran of Web App Development, primarily specializing in ColdFusion, but have been known to dabble in Flex, C#, PHP, and whatever else is needed to get the job done.
By night, husband, father of two, and World of Warcraft guild leader. Enjoy travel, watching movies, collecting MP3s, and listening to the 15 minute version of The Gap Band's "You Dropped a Bomb On Me" supplied by none other that Stack Overflow's Jeff Atwood...many moons before the Stack existed.
Current spare-time project is learning Common Lisp & Clojure.
- Denver, CO
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"I believe there's room for more blending of genres, more innovative ways to tell a story, more formats for presenting stories to readers. My commitment is to wrap my writing around these advances whenever or however they come." –Ann Fields A member of the Writers' League of Texas for a year, Ann Fields lives in […]
An Undetermined Future
Last night while I was meeting with my critique group…a 25-year-old gunman was setting up his perch in a downtown Dallas building. Ironically the building was part of a community college, a place of learning and expanding young minds.
Last night while I was driving home…the young man pointed a high-powered weapon down a busy city street. Ironically that street is only a few blocks from where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated and ironically it's the same street where a peaceful protest (organized to call attention to the proliferation of police-involved shootings/murders of black men) was winding down.
Last night while I slept…the Army veteran shot and murdered five police officers and wounded seven additional officers and two civilians. Ironically our government trained him on the use of weapons and gave him the opportunity to perfect his training by sending him to the battlegrounds in Afghanistan.
Early this morning…the murderer was killed, blown to pieces by a special delivery bomb. Ironically his motives for killing (hate, anger, frustration, arrogance, fear, injustice) remain solidly intact and are shared by many—black, white, yellow, brown and others.
Later today…the hate will continue. The killings will continue. The violence will continue. The country will remain dysfunctional and divided. UNLESS…all people are seen as individuals. Unless all people are seen as equals. Unless all people are free. And UNTIL racism is rooted out of every system, institution, policy and practice, and until hate is replaced by love.
My Acceptance Speech
The totally awesome and completely fabulous Shehanne Moore chose me for the EPICALLY AWESOME award! Woo-hoo! Claps! Cheers!
Thank you, Shey for the acknowledgement. Truly, I am smiling like the cat who slurped all the cream.
In accepting this award, I agreed to answer a few questions so others in the blog-o-sphere might learn a bit more about me. I also agreed to recognize five other bloggers who in my opinion are Epically Awesome. But before I unveil those five…
What made you choose your current blogging platform? When I first decided to start my blog, I checked out several writers' forums and the overwhelming recommendation for a blogging platform was WP. So here I am.
Introduce yourself and tell us about your blog? I am a writer, author, blogger, reader and world citizen. I enjoy writing novels, novellas and short stories the most. Blog posts, articles, social media content and marketing materials come in second…a distant second. My blog reflects three of my favorite interests: reading, writing and spirituality. Seems like complementary topics until you get to the third one. But I think some might be surprised to learn how fundamental spirituality is to creative pursuits.
Are you a once-in-a-while blogger or a daily one? I started as a weekly blogger but I am now juggling four major writing projects as well as two writing-related organizations. That workload forced me to scale back to blogging once or twice a month. I really hope I can jump back on a weekly schedule later this year.
Do you wish to publish and if so, what type of book? I am published. Yeah!!! Both traditionally and self-published and it was an adventure following both paths. I traditionally published in romance but switched years ago to paranormal and mainstream fiction as a self-publisher.
What is your favorite thing to do besides write? Read. Read. Read…and movies, of course.
Thanks again, Shey for the opportunity to share with you and others. I had fun answering the questions and now for the five bloggers who I think are Epically Awesome…
Pam Fields – who is epically awesome because she works hard every day to promote understanding, love and acceptance of all people. This is especially important in a world where hatred kills every day. https://pamyfields.com/
Faith Simone – who is epically awesome because she is totally transparent and honest about her writing journey and I love her for that. https://faithsimone.com/
Lizzie Newton – who is epically awesome because she reminds us that it's okay to embrace our dark side. Really, it's okay. https://elizabethnnewton.com/
Annette Rochelle Aben – who is epically awesome because she reminds us help and love is as close as a prayer (thank you angels!). https://annetterochelleaben.wordpress.com/
Carol Balawyder – who is epically awesome because she is so pure and giving, a model writer and a great human being (wish there were more of her). https://carolbalawyder.com/
They (if they chose to accept…cue the Mission Impossible theme music) will recognize the blogger who nominated them, link back to the nominator, post the graphic of the award, and answer the questions above. I hope the above EPICALLY AWESOME bloggers accept because I would love to read their answers and learn even more about the wonderfully epic people they are.
Have an awesome and epic week, one and all and happy summer!
June is Black Music Month
Every June we turn the spotlight on black music and black musicians in observance of Black Music Month. This June it's especially meaningful to recognize the contributions that African-Americans have made to the music world. Why? Because of the recent death of Prince and the great legacy he left for us. It's reported that Prince left scores and scores of unpublished music that his estate will have to sort through and release at will. This in addition to the extensive treasury of songs and films he's already shared with the world.
Where were you when you heard of Prince's death? I was in a writing class and the instructor had just given us a writing prompt. The room was silent except for the scratch of pens on paper. Heads were bowed and foreheads crinkled in concentration when the instructor, a noted journalist and HUGE Prince fan read a text about Prince's death. She cried out and that was the end of class and the end of a great musician. This happened on a Thursday.
Prince's death took me back to another Thursday when I learned of Michael Jackson's death in June 2009. That was another shocking newscast that immobilized me for hours. I remember friends and relatives calling but I don't remember what we talked about. Which was the same with Whitney Houston's death in February 2012. Her death was the hardest hitting of the three because she was my favorite. I loved to see her perform. She was so passionate and sincere. Her voice, her style, her presence, her smile…all amazing!
But let me get out of my heart for a moment and into my head. I have a dear friend who is a numerologist. If you've been following my blog for a while you already know about Cindy. Cindy has studied numbers, patterns and the spiritual significance of such for the past thirty years, and is quite the expert. I, on the other hand, have a very rudimentary knowledge of numerology but let me share a little bit of what came to me as I pondered the deaths of Prince, Michael and Whitney (for how could one not think of them collectively?).
Michael died first in 2009. Three years later, Whitney died. The number of years between the deaths of Michael and Prince was seven. In the spirit realm, the numbers three and seven both represent completeness. Cycles completing (God created the heavens and earth in seven days); the beginning and the end connecting (Father, Son and Holy Spirit); closing one door, opening a new one (the seven year itch). So we have three mega talents dying within a seven year period. What that tells me is we've completed a cycle. Again, I'm not the expert but I'm pretty sure Cindy and other numerologists figured this out and saw it coming after Whitney's death. They may not have known the "who" but surely the "what" (an iconic death) and "when" (the year) and were therefore less shocked than the rest of us.
So now I'm back in my heart and thinking I need to end this with how I started—a focus on Black Music Month and Prince. Below is a link to one of my favorite Prince songs. I present it, along with my loving thanks to Michael, Whitney and Prince for so many hours of pleasure, in honor of Black Music Month.
And to all black singers, musicians, songwriters, producers, composers, and engineers…thank you! A million times THANK YOU!!
More To It
My niece graduated from college this month and is fortunate to have landed a job in her field of study—journalism. I am so proud of her—chest out, big grin!
I hesitated about using the word fortunate because she worked really hard. She studied long hours; took advantage of internships; formed alliances and friendships; sought and enacted the advice of counselors, professors, TAs; and the list goes on. As I was typing this list, thinking about the work she had put in to reach this monumental goal, another list started scrolling through my mind. I'll call it the more-to-it list because there's more to reaching a goal, any goal than taking action steps. Read on to see what I'm talking about…
- Fight back – when you're sucker punched (and you will be), it's natural to cry for a short while, but then come out swinging.
- Sleep through problems – when seemingly insurmountable problems arise (and they will), go to sleep. Let your subconscious work out the solution and when you wake, enact it.
- Different is normal – exploit that in you which others label as different. It's that difference that leads to success.
- Minority rule – when you know what's right for you, stick with that. Your life is not majority rule.
- Playtime – all work makes one a grouch. Strive for a balance between work and fun.
The great thing about these more-to-its is they are available to all of us. Not just college students in pursuit of knowledge. Not just college graduates, but all. So go for that goal, initiate that plan, while remembering to enact these more-to-its when needed. So please excuse me as I head off to enact the more-to-it of playtime.
Congratulations to all Graduates!
Unforgettable Mothers in Literature
One of the many things I am grateful for is my love of books and reading. I credit my mom with this love because I grew up watching her fill her leisure hours reading, and because our house was always filled with books (books, books everywhere just like my house now). This weekend as we celebrate Mother's Day, I thought it would be fun to swirl books, reading and mothers together to create a short list of unforgettable mothers in literature. Take a look at the list below. Perhaps you've already met these mothers, and if so, you know that they range from heavenly (like my mom) to warped. But one thing they all exhibit is the very thing that mothers are known for…love. If you haven't met these mothers or if you want to reacquaint yourself with these women, this is a great weekend to pick out a book, kick back and enjoy!
Happy Mother's Day!
Happy Reading!
"What Came Before He Shot Her" by Elizabeth George
"Voodoo Dreams" by Dr. Jewell Parker Rhodes
"The Living Blood" by Tananarive Due
"Dolores Claiborne" by Stephen King
"A Worn Path" in the collection "A Curtain of Green" by Eudora Welty
"Some Soul to Keep" by J. California Cooper
"The Book of Ruth" (Bible) inspired by God
Hello Boys & Girls, I'm Back!
When I posted an entry on January 18, 2016, I did not know then it would be my last post for a while. Back then, I had plans of running a series for Black History Month (February), Women's History Month (March), and National Poetry Month (April). Back then, I had plans to post every week on something related to reading, writing or spirituality. But…
–a short story deadline;
–increasing responsibilities at work;
–my mother's health;
–a publishing deadline;
–and managing a non-profit
all combined to take over my life, causing me to not only abandon my blog but other responsibilities as well.
When January closed out, I still had hope that I could maintain my planned posting schedule. By mid-February, my hope was shaky but the intent was still there. When February ended, my intent to post had died and poor ole hope (I think I can! I think I can! I think I can!) was on life support. At the beginning of March, I faced reality. I had no extra brain cells to even think about composing a post, let alone searching for graphics, proofing and responding to comments. Feeling sad, really sad, I threw in the towel.
God spoke to me during one of those "dark moments of the soul" (of which I've had many lately) and I am happy to report:
–I finished my short story;
–I quit my job;
–my mother's surgery was pushed back to the fall;
–the publishing schedule (for volume II of Voices from the Block) is on track for a June release;
–my non-profit work is back on track.
So here it is, the end of April and I am so happy to say "I'm baaacccckkkk!" and boy have I missed you all!
In scanning through my Inbox I see I've missed some really great posts and I can't wait to read them. It may take me a few weeks to totally catch up, but thank you all for being diligent in providing great content.
I don't know what the future holds for me and blogging, but I do know that for now I am grateful and happy to be back in the blogging community. I really missed you all!


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Inferring local competition intensity from patch size distributions: a test using biological soil crusts
Version of Record online: 24 APR 2012
DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2012.20192.x
© 2012 The Authors
Volume 121, Issue 11, pages 1914–1922, November 2012
Additional Information
How to Cite
Bowker, M. A. and Maestre, F. T. (2012), Inferring local competition intensity from patch size distributions: a test using biological soil crusts. Oikos, 121: 1914–1922. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2012.20192.x
Publication History
- Issue online: 18 OCT 2012
- Version of Record online: 24 APR 2012
- Paper manuscript accepted 24 January 2012
- Abstract
- Article
- References
- Cited By
Dryland vegetation is inherently patchy. This patchiness goes on to impact ecology, hydrology, and biogeochemistry. Recently, researchers have proposed that dryland vegetation patch sizes follow a power law which is due to local plant facilitation. It is unknown what patch size distribution prevails when competition predominates over facilitation, or if such a pattern could be used to detect competition. We investigated this question in an alternative vegetation type, mosses and lichens of biological soil crusts, which exhibit a smaller scale patch-interpatch configuration. This micro-vegetation is characterized by competition for space. We proposed that multiplicative effects of genetics, environment and competition should result in a log-normal patch size distribution. When testing the prevalence of log-normal versus power law patch size distributions, we found that the log-normal was the better distribution in 53% of cases and a reasonable fit in 83%. In contrast, the power law was better in 39% of cases, and in 8% of instances both distributions fit equally well. We further hypothesized that the log-normal distribution parameters would be predictably influenced by competition strength. There was qualitative agreement between one of the distribution's parameters (μ) and a novel intransitive (lacking a 'best' competitor) competition index, suggesting that as intransitivity increases, patch sizes decrease. The correlation of μ with other competition indicators based on spatial segregation of species (the C-score) depended on aridity. In less arid sites, μ was negatively correlated with the C-score (suggesting smaller patches under stronger competition), while positive correlations (suggesting larger patches under stronger competition) were observed at more arid sites. We propose that this is due to an increasing prevalence of competition transitivity as aridity increases. These findings broaden the emerging theory surrounding dryland patch size distributions and, with refinement, may help us infer cryptic ecological processes from easily observed spatial patterns in the field.


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Washington takes aim at Chinese currency
There are 5 comments on the Fortune story from Sep 29, 2010, titled Washington takes aim at Chinese currency. In it, Fortune reports that:The House of Representatives approved legislation Wednesday designed to combat the manipulation of currency by China that results in unfavorable trade conditions for the United States.
Join the discussion below, or Read more at Fortune.
Kunming, China
#1 Sep 29, 2010
Can a state criminalize actions that it itself is doing? Will it then punish itself?
Since: Jan 08
#2 Sep 29, 2010
commies will never do that
Vancouver, Canada
#4 Sep 29, 2010
Chinas New Best Partner
Even as Washington and Beijing slug it out over trade deficits and exchange rates, Europe has quietly overtaken America as Chinas No. 1 trade partner. Not only did Chinese trade with the EU soar to $306 billion through July of this yearcompared with $243 billion of trade with the U.S.China has also become far more dependent on Europe for importing the technology and infrastructure that underpin its breakneck development. European companies such as Volkswagen, which will sell some 2 million cars in China this year, have scored some of the greatest successes in serving Chinas domestic market. China, in turn, has been busy buying up European companies and seaports. Now, according to a new report by the Council on Foreign Relations, it has even begun to shift part of its estimated $2.7 trillion foreign-currency reserves out of dollars and into euros.
But the Europeans arent half as worried as Americans about ending up in Chinas economic death grip. Europes overall trade has remained roughly balanced, so its deficit with China (1.1 percent of the EUs 2009 GDP versus 1.6 percent of Americas) is less of a worry. And with so many European jobs dependent on international trade (exports make up 55 percent of the average EU countrys GDP compared with just 11 percent for the U.S.), popular trade fears tend to be lower than in the U.S.
Whats more, EU exports to China are soaring at an annual rate of 49 percent as China sucks in European infrastructure, machinery, and high-end consumer goods. European companies have managed well against the Chinese competition by shifting into higher-end goods instead of shutting their factory doors: take the textile industry, where Italian firms have successfully specialized in luxury products while Germanys have moved into the fast-growing sector of high-tech nano-fabrics. The same holds for other industries, from chemicals to construction equipment. Its true Europes exporters are getting help from a weaker euro, down by 10 percent against the yuan this year. But many companies did well even when the euro was soaring, because they compete on more than just price. That suggests that while the controversial yuan-dollar peg might play a role, its by no means the only factor.
Can Europe translate its economic leverage into political influence? Dont bet on it. Europe has 27 national capitals without a single foreign policy, and all have been happy to leave it to the U.S. to deal with Chinas strategic ambitions. Americas own poor track record in influencing China, even when Beijing was utterly dependent on U.S. consumption for its growth, shows the limits of translating economic ties into political influence.
Ipoh, Malaysia
#5 Sep 29, 2010
With the approval rating of US Congress at 20%, they badly needed somebody to blame.
USA is in fact the biggest currency manipulator. They printed massive amount of money. Because they have a nice name for it called Quantitative Easing many people don't realize it. When China tagged her currency to the US dollar she did it by printing an equivalent amount of Yuan. US congress then called it manipulation.
Put it plainly, everybody is printing money. Nobody is more guilty than others. See gold price going through the roof.
#6 Sep 29, 2010
Scamerica is at least as guilty of "manipulation' of currency as China...a better name and far more accurate, would be COUNTERFEITING under "color of law"....a "dollar" is defined as a gold coin of 25 4/5 grains 90% pure (XXXI USC 314, Money & Banking Code....when was the last time you saw a lawful dollar in circulation in this country? America's so called "money" supply is not just counterfeit...it's fraudulent: it is called "M-2" and is as queer as footprints in the hourglass sand. Jew boy Benjamin Buttface Bernanke can print trillions of "dollar denominated" federal reserve notes up at a whack from the U.S. Bureau of Printing and Engraving and flood out our economy with it or...give it all to his bankster friends and then charge us tax slaves "interest" on the hoaxical "loan" of our own money to ourselves. And the people in this country fall for it every god damned day because they love having their own heads in rectal defilade.
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